


The Other Hand

by Miri1984



Series: Bite the Hand that Feeds You [2]
Category: Star Wars Legends: The Old Republic
Genre: F/M, aaaaangst and revenge and stuff, crisis on umbara spoilers, hahahahahaha kill me now
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-26
Updated: 2017-08-26
Packaged: 2018-12-20 02:02:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,003
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11910909
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Miri1984/pseuds/Miri1984
Summary: Welp, clap your hands and cry if you're a sith warrior who romanced both Quinn and Theron. YIPPEEEEE. *sob*





	The Other Hand

He was waiting with logistic reports when the shuttle landed, but the reports were forgotten when he saw the party disembark. 

Vopenir carried tension in every line of her body -- he knew her too well, he would admit it to himself, and he had not seen her so upset since before he came to the Alliance. Beniko and Vortena brought up the rear, grim faced and whispering to each other and.. 

… that was all.

He blinked, absently sliding his datapad into its holder at his belt. From what he could understand of the mission briefing this should have been a straightforward affair, and it should have ended with the death of the…

...traitor.

His mouth suddenly went dry. 

“My lords,” he said, bowing to Beniko and Vopenir. “Am I to understand that your mission was a failure?”

“In a manner of speaking,” Beniko said. “The… traitor escaped.” She glanced at Vopenir, who looked away.

“And Agent Shan… is in pursuit?” 

“Don’t be obtuse, Quinn, it doesn’t suit you,” Vopenir snapped.

He let out a breath. “Ah,” he said. “My condolences, my lord.”

“Rot in a Corellian hell, Malavai,” she said, and stormed off towards her quarters.

He watched her go, acknowledging that he’d deserved that and probably a lot more considering their past, but he couldn’t stop the small, satisfied smile from passing over his face.

“Careful,” Koth said. “You’ll end up force choked if you keep that up.”

“Nothing I haven’t handled before, Vortena,” Quinn said smoothly. “Shall I give you these reports? I was supposed to pass them on to Agent Shan but obviously that would not be efficient or desirable under the present circumstances.”

Beniko snorted. “He plans to undermine the alliance with thwarted bureaucracy,” she said. “Typical Republic, I should congratulate him before I kill him.”

“You’ve got the experience to take over his duties,” Vortena said, and Quinn had to stop himself from chuckling.

“Indeed,” he said. 

“Oh for heaven’s sake, Koth,” Beniko said. “Captain if you think you can see the Commander without dying go and ask her to authorise you to take over from Theron.” She rubbed a hand over her eyes. “Just… make sure the whole Alliance doesn’t fall to bits for a few days, would you? A week would be nice but I’m not expecting miracles here.”

“As you say, Lord Beniko.”

He thought it prudent to wait an hour or so before attempting to talk to Vopenir, considering her dismissal of him in the cargo bay. In any case Valdin needed collecting from classes and he had some other mail to attend to. When he finally knocked on her door it was close to the time for the evening meal, and he supposed she thought he was someone from the mess because the door was flung open without ceremony.

Her hair was loose around her shoulders, which were bare and lightly sheened with sweat -- she’d obviously been working off some of her aggression using the training mat in the corner of the room. If her eyes were slightly red-rimmed it could easily be attributed to physical exertion. 

When she saw him her nostrils flared and she heaved a breath. “What is it, Malavai?” she said.

“My lord, a moment of your time only.” She stood aside and waved him in. He had not been into her quarters on the base before now, and he was interested to see the differences that had crept into her life since he had departed. A crate near the doorway was piled full with clothing and other items that he supposed belonged to Shan, thrown haphazardly together in an obvious hurry, and here and there on the shelves he could see gaps where the spy’s belongings must have been before his foolish betrayal.

Their quarters on the Fury had been almost entirely bare of personal belongings. His imperial training and her mostly humble origins meant what little they did possess was kept at the house on Dromund Kaas. They never had been fond of clutter.

“I apologise for the intrusion, my lord, but Lord Beniko has rightly noted that with Agent Shan gone there is a considerable administrative gap in the Alliance that needs to be filled as soon as possible.”

“She suggested you,” Vopenir said bluntly.

He inclined his head. “Indeed.”

“Fine,” she said. “Have fun with it.”

He took a breath. “And I wished to apologise for my remarks in the shuttle bay…”

She sat on the bed, looking up at him, and he saw for the first time how tired she was, how worn out and run down with being in command. “No apology is necessary, Malavai,” she said. “In your own way I suppose you were trying to comfort me.”

“I fear my own lack of regard for Agent Shan coloured my reactions,” he said. “It was thoughtless considering…”

“I only started sleeping with him to annoy you, you know,” she said, tilting her head.

He sucked on his lip for a second. “It worked, my lord,” he said. “I was… considerably annoyed.”

“Annoyed enough to shoot him in the leg,” she said. “Long overdue, perhaps, but you have my thanks for that. It’s only a pity you didn’t aim higher.”

“I have often regretted it myself, my lord.”

She stood up and moved closer to him, reaching out a hand in a gesture so familiar his heart ached. She hesitated a fraction before straightening his perfectly straight collar, letting her hand slide down to rest on his chest. 

“Irony has always been more faithful to me than anyone else,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper.

He could smell her scent, and he lifted his hand to gently cup her cheek. She shut her eyes and leaned into it, a small, sad smile on her lips. “I am always happy to be of service, my lord,” he said, brushing a thumb over her cheekbone.

“I know, Quinn,” she said, reaching up and bringing him down beside her on the bed. “I know.”


End file.
